Requiem for a Dream
by Callicanios
Summary: Branch off of my Yaoi Matchmaker! When a new bartender finds he has more in common with the aloof owner than he thinks while learning from the young business tycoon. SephirothxPuck


Noctis ushered the last of the patrons out of the door shutting the door and locking it letting out an exhausted sigh. Cloud cleared the tables and wiped them down the DJ was walking out the back door and waved at everyone goodnight.

Noctis wiped the bar down and Robin tidied the immediate area, "Go help Sephiroth, I can take care of this. It's my station to clean tonight."

Robin nodded and wiped his hands on his towel. He slowly approached Sephiroth as he was counting down the money and taking a count alcohol. Robin cleared his throat, "Um. I was told to come help you."

Sephiroth stopped and eyed him up with his teal cat eyes. "Indeed. Right now I'm taking account of profits and losses. Have you ever done a P&L worksheet?"

Robin shook his head, "I've never really been good with numbers."

Sephiroth gave a slight frown, "I see." He handed him a sharpie, "Then mark all the new alcohol levels on the bottles."

Robin took the sharpie and started marking the bottles, "What if one of them is the same?"

Sephiroth without missing a beat, "What would common sense tell you?"

Robin sighed and blushed a little in embarrassment, "Leave it, got it. Sorry."

Sephiroth went on writing numbers down without looking up, "Nothing to be sorry about. It's your first night." He gave a tiny smile while watching Robin from the corner of his eye.

* * *

"Okay!" Robin hopped up and Sephiroth was already marking down the amounts in his notebook. "Um… What next?"

Sephiroth held up a finger and jotted the last of the levels down, "Now, I teach you numbers." Sephiroth motioned for him to meet him in the office, "I have to check Cloud and Noctis out, I'll be right in." He gave half of a chuckle out and wiped a speck of glitter off Robin's cheek. He turned to check them out so that they could depart for the night.

Robin blushed thinking to himself, "What is it about his eyes? They're paralyzingly magnetic." He carried the cash drawer into the office scratching the back of his head.

* * *

Sitting in the office bouncing his legs from boredom Robin got out and started looking at the pictures on the desk, "I see… Cloud is the co owner." He scanned more of the pictures and looked at the awards on the wall, "Best bartender in show: Noctis Caelum." He scanned some more, "Wow, bar of the year… For seven years in a row?!" Looking around some more he found a book.

Opening the pages letting his curious nature get the better of him, "Grand Opening! Mako!" Robin smiled looking at all the pictures, stumbling along another article, from Business Now, "Financially the strongest bar this side of the planet."

His eyes left the book and found a picture in a frame, it was Sephiroth and Cloud standing next to each other. Sephiroth had a small grin on his face with folded arms and Cloud had his arm over his shoulders with a huge smile and holding up a peace sign. Robin laughed quietly at the picture.

He turned the page in the book again, "Brothers in arms and business!: 'After returning home from a combat zone the Brothers Strife take on the business combat. Cloud Strife is an expert in show, though quiet and seemingly shy he's won best lead tender prior to departure to the army. His elder brother, Sephiroth Strife, silver tongued and fluent in the language of money as shown in his previous endeavors, now has obtained the youngest millionaire as a title. Together they take the business scene by storm with the opening of their own business and bar! Mako!"

Robin's face went pale, "They're brothers?!" He shouted by accident, he quickly slapped his hands over his mouth at the sound of a low laugh. He slowly turned around to see Sephiroth leaning in the doorway. "How long..?"

Sephiroth smirked, "About the time you got bored and turned your back." He bounced himself off the doorway and sat at the desk. "Ready?"

Robin timidly sat down, "You aren't mad?"

Sephiroth looked up into Robin's eyes, "Why would I be?" He smiled softly and spoke cooly, "I just didn't think displaying that in a bar was needed, Mako has a reputation of her own. She doesn't need boosting." He motioned with his head for Robin to sit next to him.

Robin uncomfortably placed himself next to Sephiroth and watched while listening to the tones in his voice. "It's almost as if he enjoys this." Robin looked up to see he was staring at him inches from his face. "Ack!" Robin fell backwards off his chair.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "Pay attention." Robin blushed making Sephiroth narrow his eyes slightly. "I wonder what it is that makes you do that. Are you not confident in yourself?" Robin shifted his eyes to the left and looked down. He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath, "Who do you think hired you?"

Robin looked up and spoke softly, "You?"

Sephiroth nodded, "Indeed, and why do you think I would do such a thing? There's no shortage of resumes, as you can see." He lifted the corners of a stack of papers. He chuckled a little, "It certainly wasn't for your reputation."

Robin fidgeted, "I don't know."

Sephiroth closed his eyes and sighed, "It was your confidence in yourself and who you were, skills can be taught, love for yourself is special, unique, impossible to teach, it must be acquired." He touched Robin's chin and lifted his face. "You don't need to be the best bartender, you need to be the best Robin…" He smiled at him, "I had the exact same talk with Noctis."

Robin perked up a little, "Really?"

Sephiroth nodded, "Mhm, confidence wasn't his problem in the interview, but put in a new environment, he had a couple short comings… Now look at him." Sephiroth chuckled and messed up his hair, "And I needed a redhead."

Robin rolled his eyes. "You really think I could be as good as Noctis?" He looked at Sephiroth with hopeful eyes.

He turned to look at the paperwork, "Sure… If you could ever rein in that attention span of yours."

Robin smiled, "I can't help it, I'm just hyper!" Robin laughed and started talking to fast for anyone to understand, in the middle of his sentence he trailed off staring at Sephiroth. He had propped his head up on the desk with his arm and was just sitting there listening. Robin blushed, "Stop that."

Sephiroth lifted his hand from his head and looked him inquisitively. "Stop what?"

Robin turned around with his back to Sephiroth, "Stop paying so much attention to me…"

Sephiroth frowned a little, "But if I don't pay attention to you how else would I find out things about you as a person?"

Robin winced a little, "No one has ever cared before."

Sephiroth pulled Robin into a hug from behind him causing him to gasp a little. Silver hair fell over Robin's shoulders, "We care. Cloud cares too much and Noctis doesn't care enough, but I'd like to think that I care the right amount."

Robin could feel his lower lip quiver and a sting in his eyes. "Why?"

Sephiroth rested his forehead on the back of his head, "Why not? If we don't care for each other who will?"

Robin hung his head, "I see." Sephiroth spun him around and stared into his deep emerald eyes. A light pink color painted Robin's cheeks. He took in a shaky breath, feeling like he had butterflies in his stomach. Robin watched Sephiroth's teal cat eyes that somehow seemed sad. "Sephiroth… I…"

As he closed his eyes and paused to think of something to say he felt something warm on his lips. He could feel hands on the side of his face, he leaned into the embrace though his mind raced, "Did he just kiss me?! Well, I guess, I hope so, otherwise I need to have my head checked. What do I do?!"

Sephiroth parted the kiss and gave a weak smile, "Please don't feel like no one cares for you."

Robin slowly opened his eyes his cheeks burning, without saying anything Robin pulled him back into another kiss. They parted only long enough for him to request one thing of Sephiroth, "Please don't stop."

Sephiroth put his fingers in the path of Robin's lips, he searched Robin's face for any ulterior motives. Robin brought his hand up and gently caressed his cheek. They stared in each other's eyes for a moment. Before giving into lust.

Robin brought his lips to Sephiroth's. He could feel Sephiroth's nails in his hair, Robin gasped at their sharpness. Sephiroth gave a pained expression and gently pushed Robin up, "Perhaps another time with learning paperwork… Go. Go home."

Robin gave a dejected sigh and took a couple steps away, "I'll go depending on your answer." He stopped in the doorway. "But if I don't like your answer you have to come with me."

Sephiroth closed his eyes and hung his head slightly, "Very well."

Robin looked over his shoulder, "How long have you been alone?"

He opened his eyes and apathetically stared at his computer screen, "An eternity…"

Robin gave Sephiroth a sad look, "Then… Even if it's just for one night… Don't be alone anymore." Sephiroth casted a forlorn gaze towards Robin. He held his hand out, "It'll be here in the morning. Please."

He shifted his glance away, "I can't."

Robin sighed, "Then... Please, let me stay."

He looked away from him, "I can't force you to do anything. So, do as you wish."

Robin sat in Sephiroth's lap, "Allow someone to love you… Even if you only let it happen once." Sephiroth gently caressed Robin's cheek and watched his eyes. Robin closed his eyes and leaned his cheek against his hand. "Please… Don't wake wake me." He sighed in happiness at the warmth of Sephiroth's hand.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyebrows slightly, "Hmm?"

Robin gave a small smile with his eyes closed, "I must have fallen asleep…" He kept his eyes closed, "That's it, I fell asleep waiting for you to come back."

Sephiroth sat back in his chair, "Why is that?"

Robin took a deep breath in, "Because fate is never this kind to me. This must be a dream."

Sephiroth pulled him into his arms, "If that's the case we must both be dreamers, caught in the same dream."


End file.
